iger Woods Tuesday Press Conference 2023 The Genesis Invitational © PGA Tour
The Tiger is back... "I'm playing to win."-Tiger Woods Tuesday Press Conference 2023 The Genesis Invitational- WOODS FINISHES ROUND 1, 2 UNDER PAR
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He's at even par right now.
Being realistic, I think that he'll do better than the haters are expecting him to
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So far imo, he is outplaying or hanging in there with his group.
Tiger Woods shoots 69 at Genesis Invitational, trails by 5 shots
LOS ANGELES -- The walk to the Riviera Country Club clubhouse from the 18th green is a steep one. But any pain the smiling Tiger Woods might have felt in his right ankle seemed soothed by the crowd chanting his name near the hole's surrounding grass auditorium.
Despite an injury that still bothers the 15-time major winner as he walks, Woods punctuated his first round of competitive golf in seven months with three birdies on the last three holes to shoot a 2-under 69 at the Genesis Invitational and make his return to the PGA Tour an electric one.
Woods is 5 shots behind co-leaders Max Homa and Keith Mitchell.
"I didn't want to be the idiot host to miss it right in front of everybody after I just went birdie-birdie," Woods said of his birdie putt on No. 18. "It was a great round."
The joy Woods exuded on the 18th was a culmination of not just seven months of waiting and rehabbing but a fitting end to a round that was anything but easy. Over the course of more than five hours, Woods grinded for clutch pars and bounced back from three bogeys to finish with a flurry of vintage shots that changed the entire tenor of his round.
Woods told reporters Tuesday that hitting shots was not a problem. And on Thursday, he went out and proved as much. Off the tee, Woods was routinely hitting the ball over 320 yards (three of his drives went more than 330 yards) and outdriving both his playing partners -- Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas -- on a few holes.
As Woods explained, the way the course is set up, it allows him to gain more distance off the tee because of the roll the ball gets, though he still had to adjust to the distance he was getting based on adrenaline alone.
"There's nothing like come game time, just the feeling of the butterflies and trying to calm all that stuff down," Woods said. "Even though it's cold out here, [the ball] was going even further than we expected. I had to dial all that back in."
Given his physical state, there was an expectation that the back nine would be tough for Woods to endure. And while that might have been the case, his game improved as the round progressed. Drives went farther, approach shots were tighter and putts were finally dropping. After making bogeys on the 10th and 12th holes, Woods made three straight pars before stepping up to the 16th tee and hitting the shot of the day.
CONTINUED:
Tiger Woods shoots 69 at Genesis Invitational, trails by 5 shots (espn.com)
.
LOS ANGELES -- The walk to the Riviera Country Club clubhouse from the 18th green is a steep one. But any pain the smiling Tiger Woods might have felt in his right ankle seemed soothed by the crowd chanting his name near the hole's surrounding grass auditorium.
Despite an injury that still bothers the 15-time major winner as he walks, Woods punctuated his first round of competitive golf in seven months with three birdies on the last three holes to shoot a 2-under 69 at the Genesis Invitational and make his return to the PGA Tour an electric one.
Woods is 5 shots behind co-leaders Max Homa and Keith Mitchell.
"I didn't want to be the idiot host to miss it right in front of everybody after I just went birdie-birdie," Woods said of his birdie putt on No. 18. "It was a great round."
The joy Woods exuded on the 18th was a culmination of not just seven months of waiting and rehabbing but a fitting end to a round that was anything but easy. Over the course of more than five hours, Woods grinded for clutch pars and bounced back from three bogeys to finish with a flurry of vintage shots that changed the entire tenor of his round.
Woods told reporters Tuesday that hitting shots was not a problem. And on Thursday, he went out and proved as much. Off the tee, Woods was routinely hitting the ball over 320 yards (three of his drives went more than 330 yards) and outdriving both his playing partners -- Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas -- on a few holes.
As Woods explained, the way the course is set up, it allows him to gain more distance off the tee because of the roll the ball gets, though he still had to adjust to the distance he was getting based on adrenaline alone.
"There's nothing like come game time, just the feeling of the butterflies and trying to calm all that stuff down," Woods said. "Even though it's cold out here, [the ball] was going even further than we expected. I had to dial all that back in."
Given his physical state, there was an expectation that the back nine would be tough for Woods to endure. And while that might have been the case, his game improved as the round progressed. Drives went farther, approach shots were tighter and putts were finally dropping. After making bogeys on the 10th and 12th holes, Woods made three straight pars before stepping up to the 16th tee and hitting the shot of the day.
CONTINUED:
Tiger Woods shoots 69 at Genesis Invitational, trails by 5 shots (espn.com)
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